Superman: The High-Flying History of America's Most Enduring Hero

Superman has been one of the most enduring superheroes. He was created by two Jewish boys in Cleveland. They lived in difficult circumstances and were somewhat socially outcast. They worked hard to get their comic published somewhere. Eventually it was published and went on to be extremely successful. Superman spawned radio shows, movies, TV shows and many other tie ins. Over the years, superman gained new talents. (The original Superman did not fly.) Superman was observant of current events, but stayed somewhat aloof from direct involvement. While other superheroes would fight Nazis, Superman tried to enlist put ended up failing due to an X-Ray vision issue. This allowed him to support the troops at home without being directly involved.

The original creators felt that they never got their fair share from the revenues of Superman. I don't have a lot of support for their constant quest for more. They were paid handsomely, and were able to live a good life with the money they earned. They further received an annuity for the remainder for their life. While they did "create" Superman, many of his characters were borrowed from others of the day. Superman also evolved with a great deal of creative work from other people. It seems that our current system gives too much credit for certain "key" activities. Do they really deserve the outsize gains? The strength of the Superman brand also owes a debt to lawsuits against other similar comics. The creators borrowed from other "strong man" comics of the day, yet the attorneys shut down future comics like the old "Capitian Marvel" that look a lot like Superman.

Superman has remained popular, though not always invincible. There have been "Superflops" of movies. The broadway musical was reported to make back its money, but did not last long. There have been run-ins with parents who feel comic books kill brain cells and encourage kids to perform dangerous acts. There is also the "curse" of Superman, with one Superman actor dying of suicide and another being paralyzed in a horse accident.  Yet Superman lives on. National media extensively covered his "death" in comic books. (Of course, he came back alive later.) There have been a number of "spin off" television shows that focus more on "Clark Kent" than Superman. He has evolved to reach new generations of fans, yet still remains "super".